Means for protecting vessels from mines.



G. L. GOEDHART.

MEANS FOR PROTECTING VESSELS FROM MINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. H. 19KB.v

Patented Mar. 11,1919.

Ivmkebtor G L. G'oedka/ri UNITED QFTCE;

' MEANS FOR PROTECTING VESSELS FROM MINES;

Application filed February 11, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GERRIT LOUIS Gonn- HART, residing at The Hague, the Netherlands, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Protecting Vessels from Mines, of which the following is a specification.

It has already been proposed to protect vessels from contacting with anchored mines by surrounding them with a metallic net or screen, similar to torpedo nets as attached to men-of-war and having for their purpose to prevent the vessels from being hit by launched torpedoes.

Such nets, which extend a considerable distance below the water level and even below the keel of the vessel, cause great resistance when moving through the water, so that they materially reduce the speed of the vessel.

This disadvantage is nearly completely obviated by the device according to the present invention.

This arrangement consists of a steel protecting rope or cable which approximately at the depth of the keel of the vessel and otherwise as deep as possible but at least at a depth of five meters, is stretched between a system of booms from a point in front of the ship to points at both sides of the latter; near the latter points tools are provided in or to the steel rope, the said tools having for their purpose to render inactive the mines encountered by the vessel and whose anchoring chains are deflected by the protecting rope, either by detaching them from their anchors or by dragging them along together with their anchoring cables.

The mines may be detached from their anchoring chains by means of a so-called mine cable pistol or by any other cutting gear for mine cables or chains; the dragging along of the mines encountered by the vessel may be efi'ected by a hook or a clutch for engaging the mine cable or chain. In the latter case the mine should be removed with great care; in the first case the mine. breaks adrift whereby it becomes inactive.

The drawing illustrates one form of embodiment of the invention Figure 1 shows the bow of a protected ves- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

Serial No. 216,536.

1 is the front boom which in the example given is formed by a T-shaped beam having 'a length of, say, 12 meters, the said boom being pivotally connected with the bow and supported by a seamless tube 2, which is also pivotally connected with the bow and which is provided with two rollers for guiding it along the flanges of the boom 1, so as to engage a positive stop when the boom strengthened. These booms are suspended by ropes from the yard of the foremast (not shown) and provided with rollers 8 and 9 respectively over which the protective rope passses.

The device as a whole, or each of its parts separately, may be raised by means of ropes and winches. The strengthening cables of the booms should preferably remain taut when the gear is raised; this will be the case when the connections between these cables and the vessel are in a straight line with the pivotal connections of the booms, such as is shown in the drawing.

The protective rope 10 runs from a winch on the fore-deck over rollers 11, 12 at the end of the boom 1, over the rollers 8 and 9 of the booms 6, 7 respectively, and then passes under the keel to the opposite side of the vessel, where it is also connected with a winch. The latter winch serves for bringing the cutting gear 13, which is attached to the protective rope 10 near the side booms, into its proper place. The winch on the'fore-deck has for its purpose to stretch the protective rope.

The mines whose anchoring cables or chains contact with the protective'rope 10 are deflected to either side of the vessel where they are rendered inactive by the gear 13.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a vessel, of a system of booms pivotally connected to the vessel, a single rope stretched under water by said booms from a point in front of the vessel to points at both sides thereof, a tool connected to said rope and adapted to eng ge the ca le of an an hor mine or detach it from its anchor and means for moving said rope to bring the tool to proper position.

2. The combination with a vessel, of a system of booms, pivotally connected to the vessel, means for raising and lowering said booms, a single rope stretched under water by said booms from a point in front of the vessel to points at both sides thereof, a tool connected to said rope and adapted to engage the cable of an anchor mine or detach it from its anchor and means for moving said rope to bring the tool to proper position;

3. The combination with a vessel, of a vessel to points at both sides thereof, a tool connected to said rope and adapted to engage the cable of an anchor mine or detach sel, a tube pivoted to the front of the vessel and having rollers engaging the sides of the T-shaped boom and forming a sliding connection therewith, booms pivoted to the sides of the vessel, a single rope stretched under water by said booms from a point in front of the vessel to points at both sides thereof, a tool connected to said rope and adapted to engage the cable of an anchor mine or detach it from its anchor and means for moving said cable around the ends of said booms to bring the tool to proper position.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presenceof two witnesses.

GERRIT LOUIS GOEDHART. Witnesses:

PLANTE FnBUnE, H. N ERHAGEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

